Detective Mission
by furubayasha
Summary: This is an entry into a contest for a detective story. True story, and not really a fanfic. Some people have to read it though! Bear with me here!


After the 6th period bell rang, dismissing all classes on campus for the day, Cathy Africa and Laura Lou left the new school building and commenced the seemingly long walk back to their lockers. In order to reach them, they had to walk through the 'Valley of Death,' an outdoor walkway that reflected heat off the asphalt, making the hot day unbearable. Once they reached the shade of the trees and sat down, Jazmin Zu hurried over to the pair and presented them with a dilemma that involved Brittany Nacho.

"I just borrowed Nacho's phone to call my dad, and when I turned around, she was gone and had taken her stuff with her," said Jazmin.

"So? She's just going home," Cathy said.

"But she left, and I still have her phone! I don't know where she is, and I have to go!"

"This looks like a challenge for…COCOLOLLI!" shouted Laura. The amphitheater fell into complete silence.

"Do you know where she is?" Jazmin whispered to Cathy while attempting to look like she didn't know Laura.

"I'm not positive, but-"

"I know! She has to work after school in the inner court!" interrupted Laura.

"As I was saying before I was rudely inter-" started Cathy.

"You're a genius, Laura!" squealed Jazmin

"Here, you said you needed to go, right Jazzy? Just give me the phone, and we'll find Nacho for you. She has to be in the inner court," Laura suggested.

"Thank you so much!" said Jazmin as she hugged Laura and placed the phone on top of her books. Then she turned and ran to the parking lot, waving over her shoulder.

Laura turned to Cathy and said, "Come on, let's go catch Nacho." They went through the double doors into the sophomore hallway, and turned the corner to the inner court. Of course, the inner court was completely deserted, except for a group of freshmen. "How could this be?" cried Laura, "We came here to find Nacho, and there is no one here at _all_!"

The freshmen turned their heads when they heard Larua and glared at her, while Cathy started pulling her out of their direct line of sight. "What did you think you were _doing_?" she hissed at Laura when they were under the stairs.

"Well, she wasn't there. It was rather disappointing, if you ask me," she stated as she peered into a recycling can. A seventh period class stopped their group discussion to stare at her, intrigued.

"What do you think you're doing now?!" Cathy yelled, exasperated, as she covered her face with her hands in defeat. "You make a fool of yourself twice in one afternoon, and on my watch too. Can't you do anything on your own!?" she moaned as the seventh period continued watching Laura.

"Just chill out, alright? I already figured out where she isn't," Laura retorted as she stepped away from the recycling can, brushing her hands on her skirt. "Nacho already came through here. We missed her."

Cathy looked incredulously at Laura and asked, "How would you know that?"

"We can get all scientific if you want, with the 18 steps of the scientific method, but I'm not into that whole technicality thing," Laura stated calmly while starting to rummage through her bag, "but basically, Nacho's job in the inner court is to empty out the recycling cans outside into some type of giant recycling bin."

"The one over behind the shed," Cathy interjected.

"Yeah," Laura continued, standing up with Nacho's phone in her hand, "and I've seen her take the entire can with her when she does that, so because the bins are here and there aren't any bottles or cans in it, then we have to assume that she already emptied them into the giant container, and therefore is nowhere here near the inner court."

"So she would have to be going home, because she doesn't have a seventh period," Cathy said as she paced back and forth. Laura stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder, then headed towards the front of the building to the parking lot.

"Come on, we have to catch her before she leaves."

"We could always leave it in her locker, and then tomorrow morning she'll be all 'I lost my phone' and open her locker and tada! Instant gratification as her phone appears."

"Then we could join her in the singing and dancing, right?" Laura sarcastically replied.

"Sure…" Cathy hesitantly answered.

"Do you know her combination?" Laura snipped.

"No…"

"There goes that well-thought out plan, right?" Laura said as she walked to the front doors.

"Wait!" Cathy said vehemently. "She doesn't get picked up out front!"

"…Couldn't you have told this earlier, when we didn't know where she could have been at all? It might have been HELPFUL!" Laura almost yelled, her voice echoing through the hall. As she stomped out the back door with Cathy following shamefully, the people in the hallway turned and stared at the pair yet again, befuddled by the echoing roar.

After they stepped outside, they started walking on the side of the building, through the 'Valley of Death' again, then stopped in the slight shade at the end of the new building and looked around conspicuously, noticing a silver Toyota idling at the edge of the sidewalk.

"Hey, maybe that's Nacho's dad, waiting for her," Laura said.

"I know it's not, because her grandpa is picking her up today," retorted Cathy.

"Let's go check," replied Laura, "Let's just be secretive about this. I don't want people to think we're stalking them or being very weird or something."

"Too late for that," Cathy muttered as she followed Laura. They walked casually down the sidewalk, then turned suddenly and stared at the person in the car. The lady who was in there was occupied, and didn't notice them. They turned back abruptly and returned to the shade.

"Told you that it wouldn't be him," Laura said.

"You said nothing of the sort."

"Yeah, I did. Why did we even go there?"

"You're the one that suggested it!"

"No, I clearly remember-" started Laura, when a teacher emerged from a nearby classroom.

"There are classes going on, ladies!" she said as she slammed the door closed. Laura and Cathy sniggered quietly and started walking back up the 'Valley of Death,' passing the closed classroom.

"Nice going," they both said to each other at the same time, which made them double over.

When Cathy looked up after the laughing quieted, she saw Nacho getting into a white Chrysler at the end of the parking lot and yelled, "WAIT!!"

"What is it?" Laura asked, looking up. When she saw what Cathy was pointing at, she ran towards the car with her, both of them yelling as loud as they could. Nacho just stared at them, halfway into the car, with a bewildered expression. Larua threw her backpack and books at Cathy, yelling "Hold these!" as she sprinted towards Nacho with the phone. "Don't go! I have your phone!"

"Really?" Nacho said as she walked forward, meeting her at the front of the car. "Thanks, I almost forgot," she said as she got back in the car and pulled away.

"Mission accomplished!" shouted Laura as she walked back to Cathy, walking through mud. "Darn, there go my white sneakers, and why are you kicking my backpack! AFRICA!" she yelled as she ran back to Cathy and normal school life.


End file.
